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MiLB's St. Paul Saints face backlash over 'Ozempig' mascot name

The Triple-A International League St. Paul Saints do not “plan on changing the name” of their mascot, "Ozempig," a “tiny pig that will deliver baseballs and provide refreshments for umpires” during the first half of the 2024 season, according to Eder Campuzano of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. "Ozempig" has some accusing the team of “body shaming” after it described the pig's weight on social media and “detailed its fictional weight loss journey in a blog post announcing the new name.” The Saints have employed a pig to carry water and baseballs to its home plate umpires for more than 30 years. Campuzano noted that on Instagram alone, responses ranged from "this is not funny" to "big swing and a miss" and pledges from some to “sit out the team's home games this season.” A similar post on Facebook “garnered a more positive reaction,” with a majority of responses being “thumbs-up and laughing face emojis.” Saints VP/Dir of Broadcasting and Media Relations Sean Aronson said that the name was chosen from "nearly 2,300 fan submissions" this year (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 3/27). 

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